Safety gets player of week honor

Safety Atari Bigby of the Green Bay Packers was named defensive player of the week for his performance last Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, the NFL announced Thursday.

Bigby had four tackles and two interceptions in the Packers' 33-14 win over the Rams. Bigby intercepted the ball on the Packers' 22-yard line late in the second quarter and returned it 18 yards to keep the Packers ahead by three going into halftime. In the third quarter, Bigby caught a tipped pass on a Rams' third-and-4 and returned it eight yards. The Packers capitalized with a field goal on the ensuing drive.

Bigby was selected from among five finalists by voters on NFL.com. The other finalists were cornerback Ronde Barber of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, linebacker Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears, defensive end Mario Williams of the Houston Texans and safety Eugene Wilson of the New England Patriots.

After the regular season, five players will be nominated for GMC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com throughout the month of January.